What would be the benefits of building a larger run?

[Brizi]

Alright, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is, the coop (okay, it's a roosting shelter, not a "real" coop) is done and we have all the wood for the roof frame! The bad news is, there's no way we're getting this whole thing done on time. My father-in-law will be gone next weekend.

We can get everything except the roof done by next weekend. We figure that we can put bird netting on top of the run so that the girls can go outside on time. Otherwise, our girls would likely be waiting another 3-4 weeks to go outside.

 

[Brizi]

It's slow going, but at least it's going I guess. We got 2 of 16 panels completely done, skirt and all. The other panels are about halfway done.

 

[ojaichickadee]

Oh wow! Good to know! I just see so many people putting cinderblocks around their run. I suppose we'll be fine doing the pebble path against the garage though, yeah? If they dug up the pebbles, they'd still have the "invisible" skirt to deal with and they'd get confused, I'd assume.

It's slow going, but at least it's going I guess. We got 2 of 16 panels completely done, skirt and all. The other panels are about halfway done.

I have the same dog panels from Tractor Supply and was thinking to use those with black mesh like you are. Is your mesh 19 gauge? How did you fasten the skirt to the run? Are those hog ties? What type of ties are you fastening the mesh to the panels? What type of roof are you going with? Looks very nice so far.

 

[Brizi]

I have the same dog panels from Tractor Supply and was thinking to use those with black mesh like you are. Is your mesh 19 gauge? How did you fasten the skirt to the run? Are those hog ties? What type of ties are you fastening the mesh to the panels? What type of roof are you going with? Looks very nice so far.

Thanks!

We used 1/2" 17 gauge hardware cloth from DeerBusters. The wiring is 19 gauge, but it's 17 gauge with the coating. We used metal zip ties from Amazon to fasten the skirt to the run, and also to fasten the mesh to the kennel panels. We used hog rings to get the mesh nice and snug against the kennel panels. We're still working on doing all that, but we're almost done! We'll be working on the roof over the next few weeks as well, which is going to be a wooden frame with corrugated roofing panels.

 

[ojaichickadee]

Thanks!

We used 1/2" 17 gauge hardware cloth from DeerBusters. The wiring is 19 gauge, but it's 17 gauge with the coating. We used metal zip ties from Amazon to fasten the skirt to the run, and also to fasten the mesh to the kennel panels. We used hog rings to get the mesh nice and snug against the kennel panels. We're still working on doing all that, but we're almost done! We'll be working on the roof over the next few weeks as well, which is going to be a wooden frame with corrugated roofing panels.

Your design sounds just like what I was thinking about, but you've already done such a lovely execution. How wide is your wire? 4 feet? I have the same panels as you from Tractor Supply, so curious what width the wire was on the panels and if you applied it vertically or horizontally. Love the metal zip ties. Never knew they existed. Have you tested them against the equivalent of a raccoon's hand strength? Can you take a pic of your gate? I've been trying to figure out how to seal the door up. Also, earlier I see you discussing different size runs, but you always are at 10'....is that because you can't combine more than 2 panels together? Couldn't you install a 4x4 in the ground with a cement post and then attach the panels to that post on both sides of it? Then you could have 40 x 40!

 

[Brizi]

Your design sounds just like what I was thinking about, but you've already done such a lovely execution. How wide is your wire? 4 feet? I have the same panels as you from Tractor Supply, so curious what width the wire was on the panels and if you applied it vertically or horizontally. Love the metal zip ties. Never knew they existed. Have you tested them against the equivalent of a raccoon's hand strength? Can you take a pic of your gate? I've been trying to figure out how to seal the door up. Also, earlier I see you discussing different size runs, but you always are at 10'....is that because you can't combine more than 2 panels together? Couldn't you install a 4x4 in the ground with a cement post and then attach the panels to that post on both sides of it? Then you could have 40 x 40!

We bought two 100' rolls of 3' wide hardware cloth. That is enough to cover the entirety of all the panels. If we didn't have minks and weasels in our area, we'd only need one roll to do the bottom half of the kennel panels and it would have been way easier. We applied it horizontally with two 3' panels overlapping each other, if that makes sense. Those zip ties are rated for 200 lbs, so nothing is pulling it apart! I tried and it hurts. We don't have the door/door frame finished yet, but when we figure something out I'll let you know. That's been our biggest challenge is thinking of a good way to close the door gaps. I have an idea, but it involves cutting wire that is quite thick, so we'll see.

We went for 10' width because of the roof. You could absolutely do a 40'x40' or similar, but you'd need the proper support. We didn't want to bother with that, as we knew even a basic roof would be rough for us to build. We're not the handiest people and we didn't want to make some major mistake.

 

[ojaichickadee]

We bought two 100' rolls of 3' wide hardware cloth. That is enough to cover the entirety of all the panels. If we didn't have minks and weasels in our area, we'd only need one roll to do the bottom half of the kennel panels and it would have been way easier. We applied it horizontally with two 3' panels overlapping each other, if that makes sense. Those zip ties are rated for 200 lbs, so nothing is pulling it apart! I tried and it hurts. We don't have the door/door frame finished yet, but when we figure something out I'll let you know. That's been our biggest challenge is thinking of a good way to close the door gaps. I have an idea, but it involves cutting wire that is quite thick, so we'll see.

We went for 10' width because of the roof. You could absolutely do a 40'x40' or similar, but you'd need the proper support. We didn't want to bother with that, as we knew even a basic roof would be rough for us to build. We're not the handiest people and we didn't want to make some major mistake.

I look forward to your finished product. I'm sure it will be beautiful. I couldn't help but notice that the wire comes in 3', 4' and 6' size. Did you get the 3' because it's easier to work with than just one piece at 6'? Do you need great hand strength for the wire to wrap onto the panels?

 

[ojaichickadee]

We bought two 100' rolls of 3' wide hardware cloth. That is enough to cover the entirety of all the panels. If we didn't have minks and weasels in our area, we'd only need one roll to do the bottom half of the kennel panels and it would have been way easier. We applied it horizontally with two 3' panels overlapping each other, if that makes sense. Those zip ties are rated for 200 lbs, so nothing is pulling it apart! I tried and it hurts. We don't have the door/door frame finished yet, but when we figure something out I'll let you know. That's been our biggest challenge is thinking of a good way to close the door gaps. I have an idea, but it involves cutting wire that is quite thick, so we'll see.

We went for 10' width because of the roof. You could absolutely do a 40'x40' or similar, but you'd need the proper support. We didn't want to bother with that, as we knew even a basic roof would be rough for us to build. We're not the handiest people and we didn't want to make some major mistake.

I'm sure this will look great. Can't wait to see the finished product. Because of my arthritis, I came up with the idea of stapling my mesh to 2x4s, then bolting those mesh covered panels to the dog panels. A bit of overkill, but for me, this way I don't have to attach the mesh with all those ties to the dog panel. My area also has gailforce winds every now and then, so I also have to put in 4x4 beams at the corners for stability so it doesn't just blow over some day.

 

[Brizi]

I look forward to your finished product. I'm sure it will be beautiful. I couldn't help but notice that the wire comes in 3', 4' and 6' size. Did you get the 3' because it's easier to work with than just one piece at 6'? Do you need great hand strength for the wire to wrap onto the panels?

Yeah, we picked the 3' size because it's way easier to work with and fasten on to the kennel panels. I'm weak as hecc and it was super easy to do! Time consuming, but easy.

 

[Brizi]

The roof frame is done! We're putting the roofing panels on next week. We've got to finish the skirt, the doorframe, and some side strips in the meantime. We're getting there!